Strictly Come Dancing professional Dianne Buswell took to her Instagram Stories this week to share some snaps of her and fellow co-stars during a fun day out.
The dancer, 35, was joined by Michelle Tsiakkas and Nancy Xiu as they had lunch at Hot Pot in Chinatown, as the show remains engulfed in a misconduct scandal.
The snaps were originally posted by Michelle, 28, and then shared by Dianne with the caption: ‘We’ve been looking forward to this day ever since pro tour. It was sooooo good.’
The red-haired beauty kept her fans laughing as she added ‘I have the bowl of garlic’ alongside a vampire emoji.
The trio are often having a good time together with a post shared by Michelle in May captioned: ‘Sunshine, laughter, good food, pampering, shopping and great company.
Strictly Come Dancing’s professional dancer Dianne Buswell took to her Instagram stories this week to share some snaps of her and fellow co-stars during a fun day out
The snaps were originally posted by Michelle, 28, and then shared by Dianne with the caption ‘we’ve been looking forward to this day ever since pro tour’
‘The perfect day off with my girls! Bubble tea and Chinese hot pot on our days off has become a necessity!’
The Mail said on Saturday that this year’s Strictly professionals are expected to return to training on Monday, ahead of the full series return in September.
It was reported earlier this year that the female professional dancers feared they will be ousted from the BBC show as bosses are on the hunt for younger women dancers.
After rumours pro Nikita Kuzmin might not come back to the dancing contest, The Mirror reported the bosses are keen to land a younger pro amongst the girls.
It came after last year’s runner-up Bobby Brazier, 20, who was partnered up with Aussie pro Dianne Buswell and were frequently mocked and criticised over their 14-year age gap.
Since then BBC has been at the centre of another scandal due to bullying allegdations surrounding ex pros Giovanni Pernice, Graziano Di Prima and James Jordan as well as behaviour towards their previous dance partners in training.
Italian dancer Graziano, 30, was axed from the show last week over reports he verbally and physically abused his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, 27, during last year’s series
It came just weeks after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is conducted over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda Abbington, 50, and two other former celeb partners.
The BBC scandal was then rocked once again when shocking footage emerged of former professional dancer James – Ola’s husband – telling his partner he would ‘drag her across the floor and scream at her’ if she forgot her moves.
The trio are often having a good time together with a post shared by Michelle in May captioned: ‘Sunshine, laughter, good food, pampering, shopping and great company’
Former BBC journalist Fi Glover said she believes the contractual agreements silence celebrities from speaking out about the ‘physical and verbal abuse’ they endure.
Fi, 55, who is a presenter for Times Radio and worked at the BBC for 29 years, told The Sun: ‘They sign a contract that means that they show Strictly in a very positive way.
‘I think it’s been incredibly difficult for contestants to say things that we now realise they should have been able to say — which is that they were made to feel uncomfortable.
‘And in these cases which are now emerging, there was really nasty physical and verbal abuse going on.’
MailOnline have contacted Strictly representatives for a comment.
On Tuesday, Strictly bosses announced plans to introduce chaperones during training, and the appointment of two new welfare producers.
The BBC has been at the centre of a bullying row surrounding ex pros Giovanni Pernice, Graziano Di Prima and James Jordan’s behaviour towards previous dance partners
A statement from the corporation said: ‘Concerns that have arisen in recent months have been fundamentally about training and rehearsals. The actions we announce today are designed to address that.’
The new measures include a member of the production team being present during training room rehearsals at all times, and increased support for both celebrity contestants and the professional dancers.
A Celebrity Welfare Producer and a Professional Dancer Welfare Producer will both be appointed to fulfil these added duties, and further training will also be delivered for the production team and crew.
Kate Phillips, BBC’s Director of Unscripted, said: ‘Whilst we know our shows have been positive experiences for the vast majority of those who have taken part, if issues are raised with us, or we’re made aware of inappropriate behaviour, we will always take that seriously and act.
‘Concerns that have arisen have been fundamentally related to training and rehearsals. The decisive steps we have taken and are announced today, act to further strengthen the welfare and support in place for everyone involved with this production.’
This came shortly before a clip of James resurfaced during the fourth series back in 2006, which shows him rehearsing with actress Georgina Bouzova.
He also says to her ‘kill you’ as he demands she stands on one leg and insists that unless she has physically broken a rib he doesn’t care what pain she is in. He is also seen throwing a chair across the training studio.
Jordan, who left Strictly in 2012 after appearing on eight series, also banned Georgina from eating sweets and chocolate and would only allow her to buy pineapple and ham when they visited a supermarket together.
The video was shown on Strictly spin-off It Takes Two at the time with its then host Claudia Winkleman introducing it to viewers.
The video, which is being shared across social media platform TikTok opens with Jordan telling Georgina that he was a ‘force to be reckoned with’ before ordering her to ‘move that f***ing foot.’
Former Love Island star Zara broke her silence on the scandal surrounding her former partner Graziano’s behaviour towards her.
She wrote on Instagram on last week that while much of her time on Strictly ‘was everything I could have dreamt of’ inside the training room with Graziano there were ‘particular incidents which are incredibly distressing’.
‘I felt it was right that I post something regarding the recent media reports,’ Zara began. ‘Strictly is one of the most magical shows on TV and one that I dreamt of being on since I was a little girl.’
‘When I was invited to be a contestant on the show it really was a childhood dream come true. I fully understood the level of commitment and hard work that Strictly was going to be and I dedicated everything to it.’
‘I am a resilient person and I was fully prepared to put in whatever it took.’
‘And so much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamt of. The entire production team and everyone behind the scenes as well as my fellow contestants were so amazing to worth with.
‘However, my experience inside the training room was very different. Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredible distressing to watch.
Former Love Island star Zara broke her silence on the scandal surrounding her former partner Graziano’s behaviour towards her
Zara explained that she didn’t report the incidents at the time as she was ‘scared’ of backlash.
Instead it was junior production staff who came forward to share what they had witnessed as the investigation into pro dancer Giovanni was taking place.
‘I have wrested with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming,’ Zara wrote on Instagram.
‘But after a lot of conversations with those I love, I’ve gained the strength to face these fears, and when I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show.
‘The culture within our society makes it difficult for people to speak up especially in a a world where social media opinions and voices are so loud. This is something I’ve seen through working with countless women on my documentaries.
‘I would like to thank the BBC and BBC Studios for their swift action and incredibly high level of support, as well as everyone who has reached out to me – it really truly means a lot. Love, always. Zara.’